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"Schools are out, beaches are open, and the sun is blazing! With all this summery goodness comes one of my favorite events: outdoor&nbsp; barbecues! It just wouldn't be summer without an outdoor gathering of&nbsp; your closest friends and family.Ribs, steaks, and chicken kebabs \u2026 what&nbsp; do all of these things have in common? Sauce! It's usually slathered on&nbsp; thick or used as a marinade before cooking protein or veggies. But&nbsp; certain ones can wreak havoc on your carefully chiseled summer&nbsp; waistline. Below is a guide to sauces that will get you through the season without the barbecue bulge!\r\nLimit your sodium\r\nSodium&nbsp; is the biggest offender when dealing with sauce, because it adds flavor and is often used as a preservative to increase shelf life. Since&nbsp; barbecue sauce is used in such plentiful amounts, adhere to strict&nbsp; sodium guidelines when choosing one, or you'll certainly feel the bloat&nbsp; the next day. Aim for under 250 milligrams per 2-tablespoon serving.&nbsp; This may be hard to find with many popular sauce brands, so look for&nbsp; unique food companies that focus more on flavoring with spices instead&nbsp; of loading on the salt. One of my favorites is&nbsp;Danielle's Sauces, which&nbsp; is built on the belief of \"clean cooking,\" so their products are free of&nbsp; preservatives and additives. I love the company's Smoke &amp; Spice BBQ&nbsp; Sauce, which contains only 240 milligrams of sodium per 2-tbsp. serving&nbsp; but packs tons of flavor and kick. Or, infuse some Asian flavor into&nbsp; your dish by using the brand's Chiliyaki sauce, a spicy teriyaki that's&nbsp; one of the lowest-sodium sauces on the market.\r\nBeware of sugar\r\nSo&nbsp; many sauces are flavored with molasses, brown sugar, or even corn syrup&nbsp; to maintain a smoky sweetness, but sugar can cause your calories to add&nbsp; up faster than you think. As a rule, try to look for sauces that are&nbsp; less than 50 calories per 2-tbsp. serving. Chris' and Pitt's Bar-B-Q&nbsp; Sauce is perfect to spread on ribs or chicken and has just 30 calories&nbsp; in 2 tablespoons. If you opt for a sauce that's higher in calories, try&nbsp; to keep the sauce on the side to use as a dip. You'll most likely use&nbsp; less if it's not slathered on beforehand.\r\nHot&nbsp; sauce is another great option because it's low in calories, and you only&nbsp; need a dash or two to make things interesting. Among the numerous&nbsp; varieties of hot sauces available, Shiracha hot sauce is my go-to summer&nbsp; barbecue staple. It provides a spicy flavor, not a five-alarm fire. A&nbsp; teaspoon or two is all you need and adds just 10 calories and 200&nbsp; milligrams of sodium to your dish.\r\nSwap sauce for salsa\r\nThere's&nbsp; something to be said for barbecue sauce, but you may find that topping&nbsp; your freshly grilled salmon or scallops with a heap of homemade salsa&nbsp; can add a refreshing aspect to your dish.&nbsp; Dice an avocado, and combine with half a cup of quartered grape&nbsp; tomatoes, a three-quarter cup of fresh corn and 1 tablespoon of fresh&nbsp; cilantro. Add a squeeze of lime juice and a sprinkle of salt, and you're&nbsp; ready to go. The unsaturated fat from the avocado, combined with the&nbsp; citrus flavoring will create such a bold flavor, you'll never miss the&nbsp; sauce! If you're pressed for time, consider a jarred salsa. The&nbsp;Brooklyn&nbsp; Salsa Company&nbsp;creates unique blends from local, sustainable&nbsp; ingredients. Enjoy The Green flavor, which combines cumin, ginger, and&nbsp; heirloom tomatoes for about 100 milligrams of sodium and only 10&nbsp; calories per serving.\r\nMake it homemade\r\nCreating your own sauce at home can ignite your creative side and inspire you to add unique spices and fresh flavorings. Keeping it homemade&nbsp; also gives you control over the nutritional content of the sauce. Start&nbsp; with a tomato base of either no-salt-added ketchup or no-salt-added&nbsp; tomato sauce which you can find in the condiment aisle of any large&nbsp; supermarket. Add 2 tablespoons of molasses, 2 tablespoons of vinegar and&nbsp; a sprinkle of brown sugar. Season with freshly ground pepper and&nbsp; one-half teaspoon of garlic powder. You can stop right here, and the&nbsp; sauce will be delicious, or consider experimenting with spices such as&nbsp; curry or ginger powder. For a different flavor, try apple cider or red&nbsp; wine vinegar.\r\nSummer is not a time to be a wallflower! So enjoy the beach, the sun, and the barbecues, knowing that you don't need to sacrifice flavor when watching your calories.\r\n"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.bestowed.com/blogs/learn/7614173-fight-the-bbq-bulge-your-guide-to-summer-sauces>